Lowe's Finds the Right Recruiting Tool

The new Lowe's facility in Bend, Oregon was under construction when Kevin Dudley, the Store Manager, arrived to start his recruitment processes in July 2004, as such, he turned to WorkSource Oregon and its partner, the Oregon Employment Department, for assistance.

The "Customized" Employer Service Kevin and Lowe's received included: assistance with regional wage information, listing employment opportunities (including Jobs PLUS), screening Job Seekers, and collecting resumes and applications. Additionally, as his facility was still being built, WorkSource Oregon provided him office space (free of charge) for a continuous eight - week period where he could "house" business information and conduct initial screening interviews. This alone saved Lowe's the cost associated in renting a hotel room. Moreover, he received a direct line to conduct telephone interviews and business related activities, had fax and copy machine availability, and received/sent mail.

"It helps us a lot because with them doing the pre-screening it eliminated a lot of phone calls that we would have had to make because they were making them for us - saved us a lot of time and effort."

In addition, WorkSource Oregon contacted Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, a WorkSource Oregon partner, and coordinated space to meets Lowe's multiple "New Employee Orientation" and management meetings, again free of charge. Finally, The Employment Department assisted Lowe's in capitalizing on the Jobs PLUS program, saving Lowe's approximately $15,400 in wage reimbursements. All of this assistance helped Lowe's hire 93 of their approximate 150 employees, seven of which were Jobs PLUS participants.